Liberal Arts

All students within Hillyer College are eligible to earn the Associate in Arts in Liberal Studies.

American Studies

The purpose of the American studies concentration is to afford students a multidisciplinary discovery of the American experience. The concentration consists of one course in American literature, one course in American history, one social science course with an emphasis on America, one humanities course with an emphasis on America, and one free elective with an emphasis on America taken from throughout the university. Sophomore standing and a minimum overall 2.5 GPA are required for entrance into the program, and a 2.5 overall GPA or better in the five courses of the concentration is required for degree designation.

Environmental Studies

The goal of the environmental concentration is to offer Hillyer students the option to pursue interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches to ecology, current and historical environmental issues, and the interrelationships between the natural and social world. The requirements for the concentration include Environmental Science (SCB 210), American Environmental Literature (ENB 240), Ethics (PHB 120), Studies in Social Problems (SYB 115), and an elective course to be approved by the college. The elective may be Living in the Environment (AUCT 120) or another course with an emphasis in environmental issues. Sophomore standing and a minimum overall 2.5 GPA are required for entrance into the program, and a 2.5 overall GPA or better in the five courses of the concentration is required for degree designation.

Pre-Education Studies

This concentration fulfills the specific academic requirements that enable a student to enroll in the bachelor's degree program in education. This concentration holds firm to the college's tradition of liberal arts study but also enables the student to enroll in two courses offered by the Department of Education and Human Services. The five courses required for this concentration include American National Government (GVB 110), General Psychology I (PSB 110), United States History (HSB 135 or 145), Introduction to Education and Human Services (EDF 120), and Psychology of Exceptionalities (EDH 120). Sophomore standing and a minimum overall 2.5 GPA are required for entrance into the program, and a 2.5 overall GPA or better in the five courses of the concentration is required for degree designation. Students must also earn a minimum 2.67 GPA for the two education courses included in the concentration, and they must have an overall GPA of 2.67 to continue into education.

Global Studies

Since 1989, and arguably since 1949, significant challenges and opportunities facing the United States have emanated from the non-Western world. The American economy is increasingly driven by the rhythms of global trade. Currently, many of our most important political, economic, and military challenges stem from our relationships with the peoples of Asia and the Muslim world. American environmental and public-health concerns are increasingly affected by conditions in other parts of the world, including Latin America and Africa. To a considerable degree, these challenges and opportunities are rooted in a process of cultural, economic, and political integration known as globalization.

The concentration in global studies prepares students to live in this world. A required history course grounds students in the history of globalization as a centuries-long process of interaction, exchange, resistance, and accommodation. Students take three additional courses of their choosing in the art, music, history, politics, and literature of selected non-Western cultures. The concentration is designed to bring concentrators together in the spring of their sophomore year to grapple with the economic, cultural, and intellectual issues posed by globalization in the present day. Sophomore standing and a minimum overall 2.5 GPA are required for entrance into the program, and a 2.5 overall GPA or better in the five courses of the concentration is required for degree designation.